[MoxieDoxie]

Ok so I have been in massage therapy school for 9 months. I was a abused wife from a past marriage of 10 years and I was choked a lot. So when we started body work I would go through emotional flashbacks and visual flashbacks when my neck was massaged. As students we practice on each other. I always kept my composure but I fidget and hold my breathe a lot.

I have become the running joke of the class that I hate having my neck touch and I can't keep still. The teacher even jokes about it.

I finally told one woman and immediately regretted it because she said that I just needed my neck massaged more to get over it and I need to just let it go and stop holding on to emotions.

My trauma therapist feels I need to write my teacher, without giving away any personal history, and tell him my neck is off limits and as for the insensitive woman exposure therapy does not work for trauma, it works for fear of spiders, as it can re-traumatizes people.

I have sat down to try and write the email but can not figure out how to do it without disclosing anything. I just want to tough it out until I graduate in 5 more months.

I would just tell her that you don't think you are really ready for work on your kneck.

I would say I understand it's part of what I'm doing, but say that you've tried it, and that it doesn't feel right to you- it feels like an invasion of your personal ssspace, and could we pleas try to focus more on other areas

good luck!

as for that woman I wouldj ust tell her.. look, you have no idea what I've been through- and to be quite honest, their's no real need to know. now if you have a problem with that, you don't need to talk to me

that's just me though and how i'd handle it